Reviews courseModule 2 of 7: Asking for ReviewsLesson 2.4
Ask Everyone, Lawfully: Privacy, Consent and Your Team
Ask every client, not only the ones you think are happy, and ask in a way that follows consumer law, data protection rules and the platforms' policies. This lesson also covers who in your team does the asking, and what they must never do.
By Morgan King, founder of Reyse Facts checked October 2026 Jump to Your turn
Why it matters
Lettings clients forgotten, "difficult" files skipped, no privacy wording, staff chasing quotas: all common, and all risky.
The evidence
Evidence: Official guidance
The DMCC Act, CMA guidance, Google and Trustpilot policies and the ICO's pages. The privacy routine and staff rules are our recommended practice; the ICO hasn't said whether a review request is marketing.
Do this first
Check who wasn't asked in your last 30 completions, and why.
01What it is
If a teacher asked only her favourite pupils how good her lessons were, the answer would be useless and unfair. Everyone gets the same question, and everyone is free to say no thanks.
Think of it like
A food inspector who only visits the kitchens the owner picks. The report might look good, but nobody should trust it.
02Why it matters
To the people searching
A set of reviews from every kind of client is the only one a reader can trust, and it's the only kind the law and the platforms allow. A few critical reviews are normal: Google's own advice says a mix of positive and negative looks more trustworthy than a perfect score. Landlords and tenants have different experiences, so ask them separately, about your service, not about the property or the landlord's decisions.
buyers
Get one polite request and one reminder, with a clear way to opt out.
tenants
Asked about your service, separately from the landlord, and never during a deposit dispute.
sellers
Asked in wording that fits their experience, with the same privacy rights as everyone else.
landlords
Asked separately from their tenants, and rely on unfiltered reviews when they choose an agent.
To Google, the platforms and AI
Evidence: Official guidanceGoogle bans asking only for positive reviews, reviews from current or former staff, contractors, competitors and family, and (since April 2026) asking staff to collect a set number of reviews or reviews with specific content, such as a staff member's name. Trustpilot says invite everyone the same way, with no family, staff or shareholders. Bing has no separate rules we could find, but the UK law applies whichever platform shows your reviews. AI assistants read the same public reviews, so a skewed set changes what they say.
An agent example
Brindle Lettings only sent review requests for tenancies the property manager had marked "went well". Reading the 's guidance, the director realised that was selective asking. The agency removed the "went well" box, set the system to send one request and one reminder to every tenant and landlord at the trigger, and added a privacy line to its welcome pack.
03Your turn
Check yours, then fix it
- 1Take your last 30 completed clients across sales, lettings and management. Mark who got a request.
- 2Ask rate = requests sent ÷ clients who reached the trigger. The target is everyone you can lawfully contact.
- 3Write down the reason for each person not asked.
- 1Look at who wasn't asked. All lettings? All tenants? Withdrawn sales? Files someone judged "difficult"?
- 2Any pattern linked to how the client felt is a warning sign.
- Read your request and reminder against this list: one purpose only, no promotion, no stars, no staff names, no reward, an opt-out line, no pressure.
- Read your terms of business, privacy notice and completion pack. Do they say you may ask for feedback, how, and how to opt out?
Check this review request against these rules: one purpose, no promotion, no wording that predetermines the review or the star rating, no incentive, no staff names, a clear opt-out. List any breaches and suggest plain-English fixes. This is not legal advice; a professional will check it.
- 1Who is asked, when, how and by whom, and the only valid reasons for not asking: no contact details, they asked not to be contacted, or a short pause while a live dispute is settled.
- 2Never switch invitations off because of a bad run.
- 3Sign it off at director level and train the team.
- 1Tell people early, in your terms, privacy notice and completion pack, that you'll send one request and at most one reminder.
- 2A suggested line: "We may email or text you once after your sale or tenancy to ask for feedback, and send one reminder. You can opt out at any time."
- 3Keep the message to one purpose: no valuation offers or referral prompts in it.
- 4Put an opt-out in every message, honour it at once and record it. Treat WhatsApp like a text.
- 5Send only to the client, not their solicitor, and use as little data as you can.
- 1No quotas, league tables or bonuses for review counts. No scripts. No "please mention Sarah". No reviews from staff, family or friends.
- 2When a client praises someone in person: "Thank you. We'll email you a link, and honest feedback is always welcome."
- 3Let the system send requests, so nobody chooses who's asked. Noting internally who handled a file is fine.
- 1Your data protection adviser or solicitor for the privacy notice and whether the "soft opt-in" applies to you.
- 2Your CRM supplier for whether it logs sends and opt-outs.
Then: Review the policy and wording twice a year, and whenever the law, a platform's rules or your process changes.
04Keep it up
Review the asking policy and message wording twice a year.
Go deeperPECR, UK GDPR and the soft opt-in
PECR covers marketing by email and text. The ICO says routine service messages aren't direct marketing, but messages with significant promotional content are. We found no ICO guidance on whether a plain review request is a service message or marketing. Many practitioners treat it as marketing-adjacent, because it promotes your reputation and isn't needed to deliver the service, which is why we recommend the cautious routine above.
The "soft opt-in" lets you email or text individuals without fresh consent if you got their details during a sale or negotiation, you're promoting your own similar services, and you offered an opt-out when you collected the details and in every message. Whether a review request counts is arguable, so treat it as a question for your adviser. Under UK GDPR you can rely on legitimate interests and explain it in your privacy notice; a person's right to object to direct marketing is absolute. Since February 2026, PECR fines can reach the same level as UK GDPR fines.
Go deeperThe Renters' Rights Act and asking
Phase one of the Renters' Rights Act started in England on 1 May 2026: periodic tenancies, no more section 21 evictions, rent increases once a year, no rental bidding and limits on rent in advance. There's no evidence yet on how it affects reviews, but change brings friction: rent increase notices, ended tenancies and landlords unhappy with new limits. Ask landlords and tenants at stable moments, ask them separately, and still ask everyone.
Sources
- 1.Electronic and telephone marketing · Information Commissioner's Office
- 2.Fake reviews: guidance for businesses (CMA208) · Competition and Markets Authority
- 3.Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20 · legislation.gov.uk
- 4.Prohibited and restricted content · Google Maps user contributed content policy
- 5.Guidelines for businesses · Trustpilot
Facts checked October 2026, and re-checked every quarter. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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